


Plan B

by SilentSylith



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Blackwatch, Blackwatch Era, Blackwatch Genji Shimada, Blackwatch Jesse McCree, Blackwatch Reaper | Gabriel Reyes, Eventually Post-Fall of Overwatch, Jesse McCree Point of View, M/M, Other, Overwatch Retribution, POV First Person, Post-Fall of Overwatch, Pre-Fall of Overwatch, Retribution, Shimada-Gumi, Yakuza Hanzo Shimada
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2018-04-26
Packaged: 2019-04-24 20:53:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14363448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilentSylith/pseuds/SilentSylith
Summary: This was supposed to be a simple extraction mission. Get in, get out. Apparently, our commander had other plans.____Takes place during the Retribution Event. Hopefully continues into post-fall Overwatch and Overwatch Recall.





	1. The Beginning of the End

               This was supposed to be an easy extraction mission. But here I was standing in the middle of Antonito’s library with Reyes pointing the barrel of his shotgun our target’s face. I took a step forward hoping to avoid the inevitable but it was too late, Antonio was already whirling out of the window and Talon was alerted of our presence.

  
               Rage boiled with in me. This was not how things were supposed to go we were supposed to bring him back alive, do what Overwatch was unable to do.

               I was a part of Blackwatch and we played by our own rules. We hide in the cover of darkness. We were the unsung heroes that kept Overwatch in the spot light. However, we still had our guidelines. Our commander briefed us before every mission. Even if our team wasn’t squeaky clean we had orders and we followed them.

               “Reyes!” I shouted and took another step forward toward our commander. “What did you do? This is not part of the plan!”

               Our commander seemed unfazed as he turned to face the rest of our team. “Looks like we are going with Plan B.”

               My lips curled into a snarl. I wanted to punch him square in the face, instead I hoped for an explanation. Only to be met with silence. Moira and Genji stood off to the side, the scientist glanced in our commanders direction with her usual look of boredom. I was filled with questions, had they been in on Reyes’ insane plan? If the target wouldn’t come easily we were going to shoot him and hope for the best? My gut told me otherwise. Moira was all about numbers she wanted to know every possible outcome and she wasn’t told she surely thought of it herself. Genji didn’t question his role of the mission much. He was a ‘yes man’ making sure the boss was happy and yet he didn’t seem to care otherwise. Some part of me was convinced it was therapy for the cyborg. He was given a second chance and he needed something to channel his rage against.  I wasn’t clued in on his entire story but it wasn’t pleasant. Anything that ended up in someone changing themselves into a cyborg wasn’t an easy decision.

               I didn’t have time to ponder my team mates or my commander’s actions. We were in the heart of one of Talon’s strong holds and it was only a matter of time before they broke through the door and had our way with us. This wasn’t my first mission and I had to hope that Reyes has an actual plan up his sleeve.

               “Looks like they have this place sealed up tight,” Reyes began as he examined the room for any exit points while sirens screamed at us. “Somebody start a breach on the door.”

               With a rush of air Moira slipped into the shadows and reappeared in front of the main doorway. She placed the mechanism on the door and lazily announced, “Breach in progress, we just need to be patient.”

               “Patience is not my strong suit.” Genji growled behind his half mask.

               I switched my cigarillo to the other side of my mouth with a snarl. “So what’s the plan?”

               “We make our way to the extraction point and hope someone comes to get us.” Reyes answered as he loaded one of his shotguns.

               _Seriously?_ We hoped that someone heard our distress all and made their way over to our location. With a snort I checked the barrel of my revolver before stomping toward one of the doors, my spurs clicked angrily against the flooring. “That’s the plan? I don’t see why I was _ever_ worried.” Sarcasm dripped off of every syllable and I kept myself from looking in my commander’s direction. We had to focus on getting out of here. My heart pounded. Moria muttered under her breath but readied herself to attack. They had kept me alive this long, I had no reason to doubt the now.

               Before I could allow my thoughts to wonder the lights above the right door alerted us of Talon’s presence. Reyes barked orders and the four of us took down the first wave of enemies. They rushed from the second floor next; I rolled out of the way hoping to escape their bullets and land a few of my own in their chest. Genji flipped over the center table and sliced the agents through their skull without glancing back to confirm their kill and was quickly running toward the next wave.

               “They’re coming from the ceiling!” Moira shouted and she tossed another one of her purple orbs toward the mass of enemies.

               As they landed I grabbed one of my flash bangs from my belt and whipped it at their feet and fanned the hammer of my gun, knocking three of them down while Reyes took out the rest.

               “How is everyone holding up?” Reyes questioned.

               “I am just grand here.” Moria commented as she sprayed us with her healing concoction.

               “Thanks.” I muttered as I flicked open the barrel of Peacekeeper and quickly reloaded her.

               Genji darted back toward the center of the group. With a flick of his wrist shuriken raced down his right arm and settled comfortably between his knuckles.

               “Almost through.” Reyes commented as he looked back at the door. The lasers were seconds away from completing their circle through the armored door.  

               Within seconds there was a loud bang and the center of the door was blown into the middle of the courtyard. Reyes slipped through the entrance and shot the Talon soldiers which entered from the left. Genji and I banked right and quickly took down the other’s. We reconvened in the courtyard.

               _‘Hey! I heard you trouble makers needed a ride?’_

My heart stopped at the voice over the intercom. Chel was one of our newer pilots and was on one of the three planes originally scheduled to pick us up with Antonio.  

               _‘I’ll make my way to your location. Head toward the art gallery and I will meet you there.’_

               “Roger that!” Reyes confirmed. He turned his attention toward the rest of the group. “We need to make it passed the other side of this building. There will be two canals we need to cross over before making our way into the art gallery. If we can keep the Talon soldiers under control we shouldn’t have an issue.”

               My teeth bit into the end of my cigarillo. We wouldn’t be having this issue if Reyes has just stuck to the plan. Before I could voice my opinion smoke filled the courtyard before us.

               “Smoke. Be on the lookout for a sniper and do not let her get lock you in her sights.” Reyes instructed before continuing forward.

               Genji jumped through the air before dashing up the stairs, ready to sink his katana into his next target. My legs carried me up the stairs after him and I landed a few shots into the sniper before Genji sliced through her.

               “Sniper eliminated.” Genji commented as he flicked the blood off of the edge of his blade.

               With a snort, Moira jumped down to the brick walkway below and was quickly followed by Reyes. For a split second I foolishly thought we were in the clear. Moira told us to watch out for the skids which approached to our right and Reyes called out another drop ship was headed our way.

               “It is like the whole city has assembled to stop us.” Genji commented while deflecting bullets back at one Talon’s troopers.

               I landed a few shots at another trooper before rolling away. “You just had to kick the hornets’ nest, Reyes.”

               Once again, our commander ignored my comment.

               We survived another wave of Talon troops and made our way into another room. They crashed through ornate windows and we quickly mowed through their wave. Another drop ship landed over the canals’ bridge and they continued to pile through the underpass which lead into another courtyard. I had no idea how many more were coming but I had a hard time believing we weren’t close to the end of their reserves. For, what felt like, the 100th time that night, I was wrong. As we approached the second courtyard troops marched in from the right and slipped between shopfronts.  

               The hair on the back of my neck stood up.

               “We’re not alone!” I announced.

               “An assassin…be careful. Do not let her catch you.” Moira warned as she glanced over our surroundings.

               Genji crouched low to the ground, his eyes narrowed as his grip tightened on the hilt of his blade. “She’s mine.”

               Within seconds the assassin reveled herself and darted from one building to the next, leaving a light trail from her blades as she did. She let out an altered cry before slamming into the ground and rushing toward Reyes like a rabid dog. Moira shouted and I tossed another flash bomb at the assassin’s feet. As promised, Genji landed the finishing blow.

               _‘What’s your status, commander?’_

               “Art gallery in sight. We’ll be there shortly.” Reyes said as he neutralized another target.

               _’The whole city’s flush with Talon soldiers. Whatever you did has got them riled up.’_

               She had no idea.

               We charged passed a store front and took a sharp left over another one of the bridges. Before we all could make it to the other side a heavy assault unit dropped from the sky. My eyes widened in shock as it powered up its thrusters to charge directly into me with the force of a semi-truck. Moira darted my way and sprayed her healing concoction over me to lessen the impact. I swore as I was slammed into a near by wall and was positive at least one of my ribs was broken. Reyes spun and unloaded into the machine and Genji shouted in his native tongue and called upon his inner dragon.

               “You just had to jinx us!” I shouted with a grunt as I rolled away to create some distance between the machine. With a wince I tapped my side an tried to ignore the searing pain through my body. Moira sprayed another helping of her healing concoction over me, I offered her a nod.

               “I withdraw my previous statement.” Reyes added.

               “The unit is in critical condition.” Moira commented as she gauged the status of the robots’ exterior. With a few well-placed shots from all of us the unit crumpled in heap in the middle of us.

               We rushed across the bridge, our bullets raced to be the first to hit our targets in front of the art gallery doors. Our escape was just on the other side of this building, we just had to hold out a little while longer.

_‘Picked up some company on the way in. I’m gonna try and shake them but it might be a little while.’_

_What a shocker!_

               “No problem.” Reyes said calmly. “We’re used to waiting around.”

               “And getting shot at.” I added. To my surprise Reyes repeated it back to Chel.

               “You two are _adorable_.” Moira added. Her words were laced with annoyance as we made our way into the art gallery.

Any other time I may have enjoyed the view around us. The gallery was a large circular room with engaged columns and large pieces of modern art placed within the classical architecture. I have never been one to appreciate fine art but my time here in Venice I was lucky enough to see locals and tourist enjoying the views. Their excitement made it worthwhile. Some even shared their stories with me while I was undercover as a waiter.

               “Try to leave everything as it is.” Moira said as she glided toward the large sculpture in the center of the room. What serenity we had was quickly disturbed by Talon soldiers dropping in from the ceiling.

               I pulled the brim of my hat down to keep any stray shards of glass from getting into my eye. “You better tell them that!”

               Mechanical laughter filled the air around me and I found myself sprawled on my back with an assassin perched on top of me.

               “Get ‘er off me!” She had me pinned. Peacemaker was tossed from my grasp and no matter how much I squirmed; I was not escaping.

               Shuriken knocked into the side of her helmet and pulled her attention away long enough to pull her glowing red blades from my outfit. She jumped and latched onto one of the columns like a spider just as Genji jumped into the air to meet her. While our cyborg took out another one of his favored enemies Moira quickly treated to my wounds.

               “Thank ya, kindly.” I muttered while scooping up Peacemaker.

               “We need pickup now!” Reyes shouted to our piolet as we raced toward our extraction point.

               _‘I’ll me there! Just keep the landing zone clear for me.’_

               I glanced toward our commander; despite our situation his demeanor remained calm. It wasn’t out of the ordinary Moria and him grounded our group. Genji was usually the one to be on the watch for, not that I didn’t have a temper (clearly) but I usually had my head about me while we were on a mission. One of my bullets took down another trooper and Reyes sauntered up casually to the omnic waiter at the front of the restaurant.

               “Table of for four?”

               “Sorry we do not take walk-ins.”

               My lips contorted as another growl rumbled within my chest. “This was not part of the plan.” For the umpteenth time that night, I was ignored.  

               We rushed up the stairs alongside the restaurant and made our way to the roof. We seemed to hit a lull in Talon reinforcements. I scanned the sky for a familiar air ship, hoping our ride was seconds away.

               “We’re at the extraction point. Where are you?” Reyes voiced my thoughts.

               _’I’m just entering Venice airspace. It shouldn’t be much longer.’_

“If you’re not comin’ soon you may as well turn around.”

               I quickly pressed my finger to my communicator and added to our pilot. “Whoa! Don’t listen to him! We’re getting’ outta here!” My gaze snapped toward Reyes and I gestured toward him Peacemaker. “This is _your_ fault commander. We needed to stick to the plan. We were to grab Antonio and make our way to the extraction point, undetected!”

               “Antonio was right! He would have been freed within days. This was the only choice.”

               “Talon soldiers, below.” Moira’s voice drew me back to the reality of the situation.

               I quickly made my way toward the service elevator. The metal door flung open and a hail of arrows erupted from its entryway. I rolled out of the way and readied a flash bang. It was empty. Confused, I took a step forward. There was a brief pause before someone appeared in the middle of the elevator. I tossed the flash bang without a second thought and punched the man square in the jaw. His arrow bounced against the steal elevator floor as his body came crashing down. My eyebrows shot up to the brim of my hat as I realized who our surprise guest was.

               “Uh, commander! You’re gonna wanna see this.” I shouted over my shoulder as I cautiously took cautious step nto the elevator’s doorway to keep the door from closing.

               Reyes approached and muttered under his breath in Spanish.

               “Ya can say that again.” I added. “Should we leave him?”

               We were discussing the fate of none other: Hanzo Shimada. The same Hanzo Shimada who killed his own brother to keep his place amongst the Shimada-gumi and the brother of our very own ninja. He was on our list for quite some time now. Genji made it clear just because his family thought he was dead, he wasn’t going to leak any of the secrets or weaknesses. I always thought it was because he wanted to take them down himself.

               “Grab him. He may have some information with Antonio and his next in line. If anything, it should lesson the blow when we make it back to HQ.” Reyes glanced toward Genji, who’s red eyes narrowed on the heap on the floor.

               Without another word I tossed Hanzo over my shoulder like a sack of taters. Moira plucked his bow from his grasp and pulled the arrows from his quiver. We quickly raced back up the steps to the roof of the restaurant.

               ‘ _Commander! I have visual on your position. I am coming in for a landing but it’s gonna be a little hot.’_

“About damn time.” I muttered under my breath while shifting my weight to balance the extra I had picked up.

               Our ship quickly came into view of the Venice canal. Chel opened up the side of the plane as she professionally slipped the aircraft as close as possible to the roof of the restaurant. Impatiently, Genji jumped into the air and darted into the vehicle before it safely docked.  The rest of us raced over the landing bridge just in time. Another wave of Talon soldiers charged into the courtyard, including another heavy assault unit.

               We made it…I had no idea how we were going to come out of this unscathed with Morrison or Amari…but we made it.

 ---

              On the flight back to HQ we bound Hanzo’s wrists together with the energy shackles which were intended for Antonio. Genji huffed and curtly muttered something in his native tongue toward his brother. The rest of us watched him carefully on the off chance he pounced.

 ---

When we arrived back at HQ, Reyes was immediately tossed into an interrogation cell. Commander Morrison and Ana Amari asked him an endless supply of questions. Surprisingly, the rest of our group was allowed to wonder the grounds. If the head honchos decided we needed to be pulled into the mix, they knew exactly where to find us. The air was heavy around the base. Moira and Genji slipped into one of the rooms in the medical wing. After Genji joined our team, it became routine for Moira to run diagnostics and tests whenever we came back from a mission to see how the cyborgs second body was holding up. Dr. Ziegler would join them occasionally to help the process along. However, recently their sessions would end in a heated disagreement between the two doctors.

               I was instructed to place Hanzo into one of the many holding cells and leave him there until he came back to. Overwatch’s youngest recruit, Lena (also known as Tracer), stood watch over his cell while I enjoyed a needed smoke break. I slumped over the railing outside as I finished off another cigarillo as I lost myself to my thoughts.

              For the first time, everyone knew we were out there. Blackwatch prided itself on hiding in the shadows and handling our missions without a snag, without a trace. We made the world a better place without damaging Overwatch’s precious image.

               With the spotlight being pointing in our direction and all of the unwanted publicity, my stomach tumbled in nervous knots. If Blackwatch crumbled…I had no idea where I was going to go. Reyes picked me up from the streets and channeled my scrappy nature into something constructive. Blackwatch gave me a purpose; I was helping people without having my face plastered all over the place or dealing with press conferences like Jack. But now…my face _was_ plastered all over the news. It was only a matter of time before the Deadlock gang came snooping across these parts.

              I flicked the bud of my cigarillo to the ground below, “This is not what I signed up for…” I muttered before making my way back into the building.

 

              What did this mean for us?


	2. Our Guest

** Chapter Two – Our Guest **

****

               “McCree! Ya captive is wakin’ up!” Lena informed me as she blinked into existence next to me. Startled by her appearance, I dropped my newly lit cigarillo and watched it tumble down the cliff side. “Whoops,” she winced and rubbed the back of her head. “Sorry, love.”

               I offered her a smile. “Don’t mention it. Angela woulda given ya a gold star if she were here. She’s been tryin’ to make me quit for years.”

               Her bright smile returned to her face and she offered me a salute before bouncing back into the building. She was a talented marksmen and pilot. She hasn’t returned to the cockpit of a plane since her incident but she has gone through multiple simulations and practiced with me at the shooting range. Winston was constantly tweaking her chest piece (the technical name escaped me) to keep her in the present. She was always friendly toward me and my fellow Blackwatch members but it was easy to tell she was nervous; especially around Moira. Not that I blamed her, our scientist was hard to read and her humor was… nonexistent.

               My stomach flipped as I forced myself to focus on the matter at hand; Hanzo was awake. This wasn’t my first rodeo; interrogations were part of the job after all. It was easy beating information out of someone when you had reason to believe they were the scum of the earth and they were the only ones who held the key to find the next target. My knowledge of Hanzo was bad news but him and the Shimada-gumi were rarely explained in great detail. I knew he was on a similar playing field as Antonio but I had no idea _what_ he or his group was known for.  Antonio’s underground market consisted of guns, drugs and human trafficking.  He was responsible for selling state of the art weapons to starting gangs and fueled turf wars. We have documentation which proved Antonio planted his own men among rival gangs to start trouble with each other, for _fun_.

We had apprehended a gang member with no means or orders. He was dangerous but we hadn’t caught him in the act, we hadn’t set him up, we hadn’t found his headquarters, we had nothing to go on other than hearsay.  We didn’t even know why he was in Venice. Sure he shot at us but we had just mowed down a city’s worth of Talon soldiers, which meant the “attempted murder” card was impossible to play. Could we even keep him here legally?

               Hanzo was shrouded in mystery and my knowledge boarded on nonexistent. Reyes usually handled the difficult interrogations in situations like this he knew exactly what we were looking for and what buttons to press to get them to talk. I licked my lips and nervously made my way back into the building. I hope Morrison and Amari were almost done questioning my commander just so he could handle the next steps with our guest.

               I walked toward the interrogation cell where they were currently working with Reyes, looking for some guidance. I leaned against the glass waiting my time as I hoped someone noticed me. Reyes’ gaze focused in the center of the table as Jack Morrison leaned over the table, his features twisted with annoyance and anger. Amari lingered in the back her arms crossed over her chest.The walls were thick and I was unable to make out what they were saying but my gut dropped and rolled in on itself. The scene before me was enough to solidify my worries about the situation. This was bad, _very_ bad.

               I needed to fidget with something and the taste of tobacco calmed me, I plopped another cigarillo in my mouth just as Ana made eye contact with me. She excused herself from the group and slipped through the door.

               “Jesse.” She greeted with a small nod of her head. She looked tired, which was justifiable given the circumstance but the worry in her eyes overshadowed the fatigue.

               “Miss Amari.” I offered a small nod of my own, accompanied with a raise of my hat. She arched her pencil thin eyebrow as she recrossed her arms over her chest with a –this-is-not-the-time-for-charms- look. I returned my hat to my head and straightened up. “Hanzo Shimada has come to. I was never briefed on the plan…given recent events…erm.” I cleared my throat. “Should we leave him in his cell, release him or…?” I trailed off and chewed the bottom of my cigarillo.

               Amari’s shoulders dropped as she pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly she had forgotten about the extra member we acquired. “Bring him into an interrogation cell. We cannot release him due to the possibility of him giving our location to unwanted community. We will see what we can get out of him and hope for a confession.” A string of Arabic poured from her lips before she straightened. “I will join you in a moment I need to wrap things up here first.”

               “Yes, ma’am.” I tipped my hat to her but she was already making her way back into the room.

               My legs carried me over to Hanzo’s holding cell. The door was bullet proof see through Plexiglas reinforced with a laser trigger in case someone got too aggressive looking for a way out. As I got closer I peeked around the edge of the door, Hanzo was sitting on the corner of the cell on top of the bunk. His eyes darted around the corners of the room, he seemed lost in calculation. It allowed me the time to hone in on his features. Aside from the large, swollen, black bruise on the side of his jaw; he was gorgeous. His high cheek bones and regal posture made me think of the green dragon Genji possessed; fierce and impossible to look away. His lips were lined with a perfectly groomed goatee and his ink black hair was chopped and styled save for one long piece of his bangs. His two tone dress shirt and vest melted to his toned torso. A shoulder piece rested low on his right bicep, I’m not sure what function it would serve in a fight but it looked mighty fine. The nervous fluttering around my stomach amplified with each step as I closed the distance between us. His looks were not going to help my job.

               I peeled the glove off of my right hand and placed my thumb onto the floating keyboard. Athena’s voice rang in my earpiece:

               _‘ Agent McCree. Passcode, please’_

I keyed in my six digit code and replaced my glove onto my hand.

               _’Access granted.’_

               The door slide open quietly and I took a step into the doorway. Hanzo’s cold gaze cut into mine, causing my breath to catch in my throat. We dissolved into silence as my brain fizzled out, one of his groomed eyebrows arched in question. With a shake of my head I managed to pull myself together.

               “I’ma gonna need ya to come with me, Mr. Shimada.” I said with my best, stern tough guy voice.

               The archer didn’t move. He simply watched, observed. I felt like he was reading into my very soul. Irrationally, I worried he would hear my thoughts. 

               “I don’t want ta do this but if ya don’t come with me I’m gonna have ta make you come with me,” I leaned closer to him and held out a hand. “It’s yer choice.”

               To my surprise, he looked up at me as his shackled hands reached up to grab my outstretched one. His lips curled into a smile and before I had time to react; he pounced.

               He tugged on my hand to pull himself up and knocked me off balance. In a flash he slammed his elbow into my damaged ribs below my chest piece and I crumpled to the ground holding my side as he rolled out of the cell into the base.

               “Ninja out!” I shouted with a pained gasp.

Forcing myself to my feet, I rushed out of the cell and tried to catch up with him. Hanzo tore down the middle of the hall, his dress shoes were handling surprisingly well on the tiled flooring. He banked right and ran directly into Winston.

               “Grab him!” I called to the gorilla. By the time he registered what was happening Hanzo ducked into another hallway.

               A list of swears rolled under my breath as I took off in Hanzo’s direction. Out of habit, I pulled Peacekeeper from my holster. Having her in my palm relaxed me and I would also argue, sharpened my senses. Hanzo actively looked around in hopes of any way of escape. We turned into a hallway filled with glasses cases lining the sides of the walls, each one of them filled to the brim with medals, documents and trophies from Overwatch’s achievements. It didn’t take long for him to figure out he could jump from a podium to a case to the low hanging ceiling. There was _no way_ I was going to be able to follow him up there. I quickly shot at the ceiling, hoping to hit one of the pipes hidden under loose tile. Hanzo didn’t spare me a glance and continued on in his attempted escape. I shot another bullet and he jumped from the case he was standing on to the next one. The force from his leap caused the case to topple over, shattering the glass and any breakables in front of me.

               “Damn!” I snarled and charged through the shards. Morrison was going to rip me a new one for that.

               Hanzo took another leap toward the statues which flanked the entryway into the grand hall. His shackled gripped gave him limited movement to cling onto the side of the statue. There was a hesitated step as his eyes quickly examined his surroundings; I hoped he had run himself into a dead end.  

               My jaw dropped, causing my cigarillo to fall to the floor, as he swung his body and launched himself up the statue of Ana. He climbed until he perched on top of the stone head. He crouched, breathing hard and readied himself for his next jump once it was calculated. I pulled my second to last flash bang from my belt and cursed myself for not restocking when we got back to HQ. Before I could line up a shot and toss the flash bang in his location, his head snapped in another direction. Hanzo froze and the color drained from his face.  

               I didn't question what caught his attention as I readjusted my aim and went to lob the flash bang in his direction. Before I could, his body swayed and began to fall. I rolled forward just in time to catch him.

               “Bring him to an interrogation room…then you should get yourself patched up.” Ana said softly as she walked closer to me. “He will wake up, again, soon enough the sleep serum does not last long.” She returned her dart pistol to its holster.

               I blinked and looked back up to the large statue before turning my attention back to Amari. “How’d ya know I would catch him?” I asked confused.

               She shrugged. “I didn’t but I knew we have plenty of talented doctors to patch him up if anything were to happen.”

               “Talented or not they couldn’t bring him back from the dead!” I sputtered.

               Ana shrugged. “Maybe it would have been an act of karma.”

               My stomach dropped. She had a point but I hadn’t expected for Ana to say such a thing about anyone. I offered her a nod and scooped Hanzo up in my arms with a pained grunt. “He’ll be waitin’ for ya.”  

 

 

               I carried Hanzo back down the hall and placed him into one of the interrogation rooms and propped him up as comfortably as I could. Naturally, he flopped forward over the table. I adjusted his arms to give himself something to rest his head on. Before leaving I grabbed him a glass of water and a couple of Aspirin and placed them on the table.  I felt guilty having to drop him off and leave like a mailman delivering a package. This would have gone a lot smoother if he hadn’t ran away from me…

               The pain in my side screamed and I set off to find Angela it was the perfect distraction from the matter at hand.

 

               The infirmary was quiet for the most part there were a few nurses bustling in and out talking among themselves with smiles on their face. It was usually a good sign when our caretakers had enough energy to socialize after their shift. I offered them a nod with a tip of my hat when they looked my way.

               Angela was standing in front of a computer writing notes onto her tablet. Her pen scribbled furiously and her lips moved as if she was holding a conversation with herself. I cautiously stepped into the door way and rapped my gloved knuckles on top of one of the tables. Her head turned in my direction, yet her eyes remained glued on the computer screen for a few seconds before she turned her attention onto me.

               “Jesse!” Surprise washed over her features and she quickly hurried over. “On a scale one to ten how is your pain?” She asked as she started to poke at me.

               I couldn’t help but laugh at her, which caused me to suck in a breath. “Just some damaged ribs. Nothin’ too major.”

               “Take your jacket off and let me get a look at them and do put that cigarillo away before I toss it into the garbage.” She said calmly as she prepped the examination table for me. “And please Jesse, no weapons here.”

               I quietly mumbled a, “Yes ma’am” as I stuffed my cigarillo back into its box and piled up my jacket, hat, Peacekeeper, flash bangs, chest plate and back brace on one of the chairs toward the doorway. As I was removing my gloves the pile threatened to fall over. I held my hands out hoping I had developed telekinesis in the last thirty seconds to keep my belongings from landing on the floor. With a few readjustments I kept everything from tumbling to the ground and muttered an apology before taking a seat on the examination table.

               “Please lift your shirt.” Angela instructed and I worked on the buttons of my shirt before shrugging off the left hand side to allow her to look the damaged area. She let out a relieved sigh. “Not nearly as bad I was expecting with you.” She muttered before lightly pressing her fingers into the bruised flesh.

               I winced as she tightened her circle and took a sharp breath through my teeth. “Yup! Doc, that hurts!”

               “My apologies.” She said and eased her prodding. Her head tilted to the side as she continued poking at various places on my abdomen. She checked my arms and pressed various sections of flesh. I had learned it was best to let her go through her full inspection, no matter how much I insisted only one area hurt she always wanted to make sure she wasn’t missing anything and treating her patient to the fullest of her abilities. Even though the process made me feel like a rag-doll. After she was pleased with her inspection she gave a nod to no one in particular and walked over to one of the many medicine cabinets and pulled out what she needed.

               “This will be on the cold side,” Angela warned me as she walked back over with a handful of items. The first thing she opened was a tube filled with glowing yellow salve. She scooped a generous amount out and rubbed her palms together before slathering it onto the bruised patch. “This should numb the area and begin the mending process.”

               My nose wrinkled at the stench. “What is in that stuff? Mutilated coyote?”

               Her lips pulled into a smile as a laugh bubbled from her chest. “I can assure you there is nothing of the sort in this mixture.”

               “It can’t be so bad, gunslinger.” A metallic voice chimed from the doorway. I looked up to see Genji lounging comfortably from the door frame. His face plate and visor had been removed revealing the lower half of his scarred face. The metal neck piece, which held the cords at the base of his neck, trailed up to the front of his chin to form a carbon fiber soul-patch. His ink black hair was sleeked back in its usually unruly nature and stayed out clear of his glowing red eyes. He’d tossed on an oversized Blackwatch hoodie and a pair of sweatpants to match. I’m not sure if the clothing offered any warmth for him or if it was for sense of normalcy.

               His scarred lips curled into a smirk. “We could go train for a bit if you would like.”

               “I would prefer we didn’t.” I chuckled and ignored Angela’s swat to keep still.

               “Your loss. The more you refuse my offer the quicker your skills are going to diminish.” His boisterous laughter at the end of his sentence was the only thing that clued me in he was joking.

               Since day one Genji has been difficult to read and we never saw eye to eye. It was only recently he had started joking with our group and we started getting along. I was 24 when Reyes offered me the ultimatum of joining Blackwatch or rotting behind bars. I was young, dumb and out of control. Not everything has changed but the longer I was here the more I felt like I had a purpose and maybe, just maybe, paying my part in Blackwatch would help reconcile some of my choices from my younger years. When Genji  joined a few years later, he was sure to test any of my progress and promptly kicked my ass when his cyborg body could handle a sword again.

               Genji’s human hand waved in front of my face and brought me back. Confused, I looked around to see Angela washing her hands and gathering some more supplies. She had already spread the salve and placed secured the bandage on my ribs. My cheeks quickly heated and Genji’s laughter filled the air.

               “As to prove my point, cowboy!”

               “Oh hush yer little mouth! It’s been a tirin’ day for all of us.” I fixed my shirt and waited for Angela to return with the rules and restrictions to follow until I was healed up. My eyes flicked down to Genji’s feet before meeting his eyes. “How was your session with Moira?”  

               He shifted his weight and flexed his robotic fingers before offering a forced shrug. “Nothing damaged and everything seems to be in order….I cannot complain.”

               With a knowing nod we fell into silence. Angela disappeared to grab something Genji crossed his arms over his chest and shifted his weight back and forth uncomfortably before speaking. “Is He still here?” He questioned softly.

               I winced and tried to conjure up the best way to answer. “Yes but I’m not so sure we’re gonna be able to keep him here for long. Amari hit him with a sleep dart after he tried to run away. To my knowledge he’s still in an interrogation cell with her and, probably, Morrison.”

               Another pause filled the air. The corners of Genji’s lips turned downward as his brow knitted together in frustration. “Understood.” He rasped. And with that he bowed his head before making his leave.

               Angela smiled and commented on how well he looked as she passed by.  He tossed a smile back her way but didn’t say anything. Worry painted her features as she made her way back to me.

               “He seems…better?” She commented, she was obviously fishing for more information. 

               “Good as a guy can be with ya murderin’ brother a few strides away.” I added.

               Her smile fell and she nervously messed with the pill bottles before clearing her throat. “Um…yes…I suppose so…” She glanced toward the doorway. Angela was always running a million miles a minute; I’m not entirely sure how she was standing most of the time. “Take two of these in the morning and just before you go to bed. The salve and the patch should have everything mended together within the next couple of days. Take the blue capsules if you hurt during the day but do not take more than one every four hours.”

               I took the bottles as she handed them to me and smiled at her. “Thanks, Doc. I don’t know what I would do without ya.” I popped off the lid of the first bottle and downed two of the pills, pocketed the rest and started to return my gear onto my person. “Anything else for me?”

               “Try and quit smoking?” She suggested with a hopeful look.

               I laughed. “Maybe for New Year’s.”

              

               I decided to shower before returning to the interrogation cells. It could be a while before I had a moment of peace with the night’s events and as far as everyone was concerned, Angela was still fixing me up. We were each assigned our own room, they weren’t large, by any means, but they were more comfortable than sleeping in a rundown shack in the middle of the desert. Each room was a twelve foot by sixteen foot room equipped with a small kitchenette off of the bathroom which held a toilet, a stand up shower and a small sink. The room held a full size cot, a desk and a dresser tucked into the closet. I moved a coffee table and mounted a spare TV on the wall and called the space good. There was a window which over looked the training course in the distance. Beer cans, a more than full ash tray and cacti decorated my window sill. My bed was dressed with a sheet and a single fleece blanket. It was rare that I actually got to sleep in my own bed and I didn’t need much to fall asleep with how busy we had been. We had been in Italy for a few weeks planning and casing our extraction of Antonio. Right now my bed was calling my name. I tossed my hat on the corner of my desk and stripped off the rest of my gear. I hung my chaps on a hook which was intended for a jacket and placed my boots underneath them. The rest of my gear ended up haphazardly tossed toward the hamper nestled between the wall and my dresser, most of the garments ended up on the floor.

               Before getting into the shower I prepped my coffee pot to brew a full batch of coffee. It might be worthwhile to bring gifts to my commanders and hopefully redirect any anger pointed my way. I placed my ear-piece on the counter next to the coffee pot and slipped into my snug bathroom. The water was surprisingly hot for the evening and my aching muscles couldn’t be more grateful. I braced my forearm against the tile and rested my forehead against my forearm. The warm water beat down my back and reality melted away around me.

 

               Refreshed and clean I toweled myself off and slipped into a pair of worn jeans. My back right pocket was useless and had large hole which revealed my plaid boxers and the cuffs of the jeans had enough holes to mimic a moth eaten blanket but damn were they comfortable. I lazily threw on a red and black flannel over a high necked black under armor shirt and slipped my feet into an older pair of  black boots. The coffee was done and I filled four disposable cups and grabbed one of the many cardboard coffee carriers I had stolen from the kitchen. This wasn’t the first time I had planned on smoothing a situation over by trying to butter up my commanding officers. I returned the com in my ear and made my way back to the interrogation cells.

              

               As I turned my final corner I smiled at Amari and held out the remaining coffees. “I thought ya’ll could use a little pick me up.”

               She didn’t look any better from when I left her but she grabbed a cup. “Thank you, Jesse.”

               I shifted nervously as she took a sip. She didn’t even make a comment about the coffee. Usually she at least reminded me tea was her preferred drink but she would make an exception because I brought it. My attention slid from our sniper and moved over the large glass window. Our guest sat straight backed and proud with his gaze fixated on the space in front of him. Morrison and Reyes circled the archer like vultures. Questions poured from their lips like waterfalls but the man in the middle didn’t bat an eye. A moment later both Morrison and Reyes excited the room. The air was thick and the air practically crackled with lightening as they looked at one another as they shared a secret conversation.

                “Commander-.” I greeted and held up the two remaining coffees to Morrison, his enraged blue eyes filled my body with ice. My mouth became dry as nerves twisted my stomach into knots once more. I forced myself to keep eye contact with him. “Didn’t get the answers you were lookin’ for?”

                “He’s giving us the silent treatment.” He snarled and tipped his wrist to check his time on his holographic watch. “The perfecting ending after the stunt _your_ commander pulled this evening. Now if you’ll excuse me I have press conferences I need to attend.” As he walked down the hall he conversed with Gérard on their next course of action.

               Reyes snorted and turned his attention to me. I had almost forgotten he was there. With a forced smile I raised the coffees in his direction and he dismissed it with a wave.

               “So,” I began as I lowered the coffee tray and stole another sip from my cup. “When are we droppin’ him off?”

               “We are keeping him here with the hopes of gathering some intel from him. If he doesn’t break, eventually some of his organization will have to come looking for him.” Reyes rolled his shoulders back and twisted his neck with a satisfying ‘pop’. “You will be his body guard for the remainder of his stay.”

               “Whoa! Bodyguard?! Reyes can we even keep him here and after tonight’s situation don’t ya think we should be followin’ Overwatch’s protocol?” I questioned as my heart raced like a jack rabbit’s who had just outran a train.

               Reyes paused and squared his shoulders and turned to me like a bear sizing up his pray before an attack. My commander stepped closer and locked onto me. “Did that sound like an open debate topic to you?”

               One wrong word, one wrong breath I was dead. I stared into his hazel eyes and found myself shaking, I hoped I didn’t look as pathetic as I felt. “No, but-.”

               “Let me make things perfectly clear,” He stepped into my personal bubble and lowered his face close to mine. “You will be his bodyguard, that’s an order. You will keep your trap shut. You will watch him every minute of every second of the day. You will make sure he does not escape and has no means to escape. He will eat, sleep, bathe and _shit_ only with your say so. He’s here as Blackwatch’s guest. End of story. Do I make myself clear?”

               My teeth ground against each other as my jaw locked into a snarl. “This is **_not_** what I signed up for, Reyes.”

               He laughed without any humor and jabbed a finger in my chest. “That’s where you are wrong, _burro_ *. You chose Blackwatch over prison. You do what I say or I will personally deliver you into a cell.”

               His eyes searched mine as he watched for a remark. After a moment he was satisfied with my silence, he turned and made his way down the hall.

               Amari squeezed my shoulder and gave me her signature –it-will-be-alright- look. “Rest well, _alwaghad_ *.” She said softly before leaving.

               With that I was left alone with Hanzo. My heart dropped into my stomach. This was not the commander I first met. This was not the commander who showed me tough love because he knew I was, ‘better than that’. This was not the commander who rushed back into the fight when I had been trapped under ruble. This was not _my_ commander. I looked up to him like a father. He taught me things outside of the training grounds and outside of military protocol. I bore my soul and spilled my guts to him on more than one occasion, he listened and helped me pick up the pieces.

               A cold washed over me and I suddenly felt more connection with our guest than I did with someone I had spent the last 13 years of my life with. I looked back at Hanzo through the glass. His gaze was still distant despite the scene which happened right before him. My shoulders fell and I let out a sigh. I lifted my coffee cup to him with a toothless, half-assed smile before finishing the rest of my drink.

               A silent toast to our new arrangement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Burro – Jackass  
> Alwaghad – Rascal

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Overwatch fan fiction. Any comments, thoughts or plot brain storming I would love to hear and/or chat with you.


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